1. Field
The present disclosure relates to an amplification waveguide device that improves light efficiency by amplifying light and an amplification beam steering apparatus including the amplification waveguide device.
2. Description of the Related Art
To steer or direct laser beams to a desired position, mechanical rotation of a laser-radiating portion and use of interference between a bundle of laser beams output from multiple unit cells or multiple waveguides using an optical phased array (OPA) scheme are generally employed. In the OPA scheme, the unit cells or the waveguides are electrically or thermally controlled to steer the laser beams. The mechanical rotation of the laser-radiating portion uses a motor or a micro electro mechanical system (MEMS), increasing volume and cost. The OPA scheme needs the multiple waveguides, increasing a total volume, and may have an error occurring in phase modulation, and low optical efficiency.
In another way, for beam steering, phase modulation may be performed using a meta device based on plasmon resonance on an interface between metal and an insulator. In this case, two-dimensional (2D) scanning of a reflective beam according to a meta structure of a meta device may be possible, but due to low reflectivity, optical efficiency may also be low.